3/18/2015
Swim Lessons: A Portal into Jewish Parental Obligations | Sefaria Source Sheet Builder
Swim Lessons: A Portal into Jewish Parental Obligations
Source Sheet by Ari Lev Fornari
‫ד׳ט׳‬:‫ו׳‬ ‫דברים‬
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
(4) HEAR, O ISRAEL YHVH IS OUR GOD, YHVH IS ONE. (5)
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (6) And
these words, which I command thee this day, shall be
upon thy heart; (7) and thou shalt teach them
diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them
when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest
by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou
risest up. (8) And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon
thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine
eyes. (9) And thou shalt write them upon the doorposts
of thy house, and upon thy gates.
(‫)ה‬ ‫אֶחָֽד׃‬ ‫׀‬ ‫יי‬ ּ‫אֱלֹהֵ֖ינו‬ ‫יי‬ ‫יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל‬ ‫שְׁמַ֖ע‬ (‫)ד‬
‫וּבְכָל־‬ ֥ ְ‫בְּכָל־לְבָב‬ ָ‫אֱלֹהֶ֑יך‬ ‫יי‬ ‫אֵ֖ת‬ ָ֔‫וְאָ֣הַבְתּ‬
‫הַדְּבָ ֣ים‬ ּ‫וְהָי֞ו‬ (‫)ו‬ ‫וּבְכָל־מְאֹדֶֽךָ׃‬ ֖ ְׁ‫נַפְש‬
‫עַל־‬ ‫הַיּ֖וֹם‬ ֛ ְּ‫מְצַו‬ ‫אָנֹכִ֧י‬ ‫אֲשֶׁ֨ר‬ ‫הָאֵ֗לֶּה‬
‫בָּ֑ם‬ ָ֖‫וְדִבַּרְתּ‬ ָ‫לְבָנ֔יך‬ ‫וְשִׁנַּנְתָּ֣ם‬ (‫)ז‬ ‫לְבָבֶֽךָ׃‬
ְ‫בַדֶּ֔רֶך‬ ֣ ְּ‫וּבְלֶכְת‬ ֙ ֙‫בְּבֵית‬ ֤ ְּ‫בְּשִׁבְת‬
‫וּקְשַׁרְתָּ֥ם‬ (‫)ח‬ ‫וּבְקוּמֶֽךָ׃‬ ֖ ְּ‫וּֽבְשָׁכְב‬
(‫)ט‬ ‫עֵינֶֽיךָ׃‬ ‫בֵּ֥ין‬ ‫לְטֹטָפֹ֖ת‬ ּ‫וְהָי֥ו‬ ָ‫עַל־יָ ֑ך‬ ‫לְא֖וֹת‬
‫וּבִשְׁעָרֶֽיךָ׃‬ ָ‫בֵּית֖ך‬ ‫עַל־מְזוּזֹ֥ת‬ ‫וּכְתַבְתָּ֛ם‬
Questions for Discussion:
1. What are you instructed to teach diligently to your children?
2. What would you say you try to "teach diligently" to your children?
3. A more literal translation of that verse would say, "teach through oral
repetition to your children." Does that change the meaning for you?
‫ו׳‬:‫כ״ב‬ ‫משלי‬
Proverbs 22:6
(6) Train up a child in the way s/he should go, And
even when s/he is old, s/he will not depart from it.
‫כִּֽי־י֝זְ ֗ין‬ ‫גַּ֥ם‬ ֹ‫דַרְכּ֑ו‬ ‫עַל־פִּ֣י‬ ‫לַ֭נַּעַר‬ ְ‫חֲנֹ֣ך‬ (‫)ו‬
‫מִמֶּֽנָּה׃‬ ‫לֹֽא־יָס֥וּר‬
Questions for Discussion:
1. According to Proverbs, what is your task as a parent?
Kiddushin 29a
A [parent] is obligated to do the following for
[their child]: to circumcise him, to redeem him if he
is a first born, to teach him/her Torah, to find
him/her a partner, and to teach him/her a trade.
Others say: teaching him/her how to swim as well.
Rabbi Yehuda says, One who does not teach [their
child] a trade, it is as if s/he taught him/her
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.‫כט‬ ‫קידושין‬
‫וללמדו‬ ‫ולפדותו‬ ‫למולו‬ ‫בבנו‬ ‫חייב‬ ‫האב‬ ‫וי"א‬ ‫אומנות‬ ‫וללמדו‬ ‫אשה‬ ‫ולהשיאו‬ ‫תורה‬
‫כל‬ ‫אומר‬ ‫יהודה‬ ‫רבי‬ ‫במים‬ ‫להשיטו‬ ‫אף‬
‫ליסטות‬ ‫מלמדו‬ ‫אומנות‬ ‫בנו‬ ‫את‬ ‫מלמד‬ ‫שאינו‬
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3/18/2015
Swim Lessons: A Portal into Jewish Parental Obligations | Sefaria Source Sheet Builder
thievery.
Questions for Discussion:
1. According to the Talmud, what 6 things are you responsible for as a parent?
2. What would you expect to find on this list? What is missing from this list?
3. Why "teach to swim"?
4. What 6 things do you feel obligated to do for your children? Made with the Sefaria Source Sheet Builder
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